PHIL 1500 - Exam 4A

In the column on the right, circle the letters corresponding to the fallacies illustrated by the following examples. Note that some examples do not involve any fallacy.

1. All of us cannot be famous, because all of us cannot be well known.
- Jesse Jackson

A. Hasty generalization B. Begging the question
C. Appeal to the people D. none of these

2. We know now that all of the gas giants in the Solar System have rings. Specialists at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration say that some of the pictures from Voyager fly-bys of each of these planets show these peculiar structures.

A. Appeal to authority B. Hasty generalization
C. Composition D. none of these

3. The Braves will win the World Series only if they first win the National League Championship Series. Since they will win the NLCS, they will win the World Series.

A. Affirming the consequent B. Denying the antecedent
C. Amphiboly D. none of these

4. Chrysler and Toyota are major car manufacturers. When Chrysler was in trouble, the United States government helped them out. Toyota is having similar problems. So the United States government will probably help out Toyota.

A. False analogy B. Appeal to authority
C. Appeal to pity D. none of these

5. If John or Bob put on the new roof, it was done right. But neither of them did it. So we can expect problems.

A. Disjunctive fallacy B. Denying the antecedent
C. False dilemma D. none of these

6. John promised to meet me for lunch, but he didn't. His son had an accident and had to go to the hospital. But people should keep their promises. John should have kept his date with me.

A. Accident B. Appeal to pity
C. False analogy D. none of these

7. If Sue gets a scholarship or a student loan, she will go to college. I learned today that she will get a scholarship. So she will go to college.

A. Affirming the consequent B. Disjunctive fallacy
C. Denying the antecedent D. none of these

8. Isn't a complex question a kind of fallacy involving an unwarranted assumption? Ned's question about hasty generalization was very complex. So Ned must be making an unwarranted assumption.

A. Equivocation B. Hasty generalization
C. Complex question D. none of these

9. Letter to the editor: "John Doe may be a fine young man, but he should not be allowed to attend our public school. John Doe has leukemia. This disease is a killer. We do not want to lose our other children."

A. Appeal to fear B. Appeal to pity
C. Appeal to authority D. none of these

10. Should the local paper publish the exposé on Mr. Bigg? That would be a bad idea unless the reporters are very sure of their facts. Mr. Bigg has a practice of suing newspapers for libel.

A. Appeal to fear B. Complex question
C. False cause D. none of these

11. You can ignore the suffering of your fellow man or you can devote your life to serving the poor, the homeless, and the sick. Can you really stand idly by while others suffer? You must give up your career and join the Crusade for Humanity.

A. Complex question B. Appeal to pity
C. False dilemma D. none of these

12. "One suspects that some species of Tilapia in Lake Tanganyika exhibit complex courtship behavior. Dr. Trewevas's detailed … study of Tilapia mossambica, which has close relatives in the lake, displays such behavior." - The Cichlid Fishes of the Great Lakes of Africa

A. Appeal to authority B. False analogy
C. Hasty generalization D. none of these

13. That the world is good follows from the known goodness of God; and that God is good is known from the excellence of the world he has made.

A. Appeal to authority B. Division
C. Begging the question D. none of these

14. In reply to the gentleman's argument, I need only say that two years ago he vigorously defended the very measure he now opposes so adamantly.

A. Equivocation B. Affirming the consequent
C. Against the person D. none of these

15. According to the Secretary of Defense, more money is not what is needed to improve public education in this country. But additional spending on defense would reduce the risk of another terrorist attack like the one that occurred on September 11, 2001. If we have to choose between putting more money into education or defense, we should put it into defense.

A. Appeal to authority B. False dilemma
C. Appeal to fear D. none of these

16. Saudi Arabia generates enormous income from the sale of oil. My roommate is from Saudi Arabia. So he must have lots of money.

A. Against the person B. Affirming the consequent
C. Division D. none of these

17. Fenwick has owned five cars, but he has never owned more than one car at a time. He has owned a Chevrolet and a Ford (both American,) a Honda and a Toyota (both Japanese,) and a German Volkswagen. His first car was not an American car, and his first two cars were red. He owned the Ford before he owned the Volkswagen. The Ford was white and the Toyota was blue. If Fenwick doesn't own a Volkswagen now, what kind of car does he own? (Fill the entire graph. Don't forget to answer the question.)

18. In the five years from 1995 to 1999, Henry spent each Christmas in a different country; in alphabetical order, they were Austria, Belgium, England, France, and Germany. Each year he bought a figure to use in a Christmas manger scene as a souvenir. He bought figures of Jesus, Joseph, Mary, a shepherd, and a wise man. Can you figure out when he bought each figure and in which country?
The first figure and the last figure Henry bought were carved from wood.
He bought the Jesus after he bought the wise man and before he went to France or Belgium.
The last two figures he bought were Joseph and the shepherd.
He went to Germany the year after he went to England but before he went to Austria or Belgium.
The figure of Joseph was made of fine porcelain and is taller than the wise man, which is taller than the figure from Belgium.
He bought the Mary figure the year before he bought the Jesus figure.

Souvenirs: